photos by Jeff Harbin, Life of Riley Photography

Ray Wilson, owner/creator of Cat Man Du

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Ray Wilson may call Amarillo home now, but that wasn’t always the case. As a child he and his mother moved around a lot, and while that may (or may not) have influenced his tendency to dabble in new jobs and new cities as an adult, it’s of no matter now. Ray has planted his feet firmly in the Panhandle soil and he has no plans to leave.

“I moved out at 16 years old and learned how to make my own way from there,” says the 39-year-old. “I worked my way up the ladder at whatever job I had. I did whatever I had to do to make a paycheck and pay rent.”

By 18 years old, Ray was managing a Domino’s Pizza in Amarillo and soon became an area supervisor. He had an interest in music, so he played bass in a band. He had an entrepreneurial spirit, so he opened a comic book store, Collector’s Paradise, on Polk Street. If Ray had an idea, he ran with it.

“I have such a problem doing things other people’s way, you know? I always want to build a better mousetrap,” he laughs. “I guess that’s what keeps my rebellion status.”

Throw in a few door-to-door sales jobs and an ended marriage that gave him his first daughter, Haley Faith, now 16, and you end up with a decade of living that could’ve stretched a lifetime. In fact, Ray jokes, in nearly 40 years, he’s lived a 60-year-old life.

“In your 20s you don’t realize you’re selfish,” he says quietly. “I’ve definitely eaten my fair share of Ramen noodles.”

By the mid-90s, Ray had a new daughter, a band, a business and a day job. He was spread thin, the result of trying to balance career goals, passions and responsibilities. Ray gave up the band and closed the comic book shop. By 1998, he left Domino’s and the following year went to work for Unique Solutions of Amarillo, a small technical support firm, as manager of the IT department. Ray didn’t necessarily have formal computer training, but he was always the one on the phone with tech support at his previous jobs, and it wasn’t long until he didn’t have to call tech support anymore. He saw the need for a company like USA in Amarillo and they certainly had the skill, but more than anything, he noticed what they didn’t have.

“I knew they could be something if they focused on quality customer service, if they could rally everyone around a cause,” he says. “That company had potential.”

In 2000, Ray married his wife, Amber, and by 2002 they welcomed their first child together, Kobe. That same year he left USA (it eventually closed) and went to work for Amber’s uncle at his machinery business in Dumas, fixing computers for people on the side. Money was tight. He knew something had to give when he was buying diapers on credit at the corner gas station. It was during one of his many long drives to Dumas when he came up with the idea for what would become Cat Man Du.

“I just saw it as an opportunity. I’d tell people, ‘I may not have the skills that other people do, but I’ll give you the best service.’” Ray says. “So I worked out of my garage fixing computers – connectivity, hardware failures, server problems and other glitches.”

To make customer service as important as the actual repairs was an essential part of Ray’s business plan. Speaking what he calls “geek and English,” and by responding to clients quickly with respect and understanding, Ray began building the foundation of a business in which he wholeheartedly believed would succeed. The name, while born from a Bob Seger song, also represents three prominent Linux programming commands.

On June 15, 2003, Cat Man Du received its first official paycheck.

“I finally decided to jump in with both feet and be good at this one thing,” he says. “I set out to hire good people and rally them and that’s what we did.”

Fast forward seven years and Cat Man Du has expanded to two more locations, one in Dumas and one in Canyon. Like many businesses, 2007 and 2008 presented a challenge due to the economic downturn, but Cat Man Du survived. When things were a little slow in 2008, Ray turned to the WTAMU Enterprise Center for advice and he credits consultant Cori Burns for teaching him that there’s a difference between working in your business and working on your business.

With three facilities to meet the needs of its customers, the “little business that could” is starting to get some serious recognition. In November 2009, it was awarded the Jim Henson Top Small Business of the Year by the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce. More recently, Ray accepted the 2010 Torch Awards for Marketplace Ethics, small business category, from the Better Business Bureau of the Texas Panhandle. The secret, Ray insists, is hiring good people.

“Tony Martin is my VP of operations and the first guy who got paid to work for me. I owe more to him than anyone,” he says. “And also the secret is quality assurance. We do what we say we’re going to do when we say we’re going to do it.”

Business aside, Ray never abandoned his love of playing music; rather, it was simply put on hold. After what he calls “the Cat Man Du garage band” dissipated, he conducted a more formal search for serious players via ads at Guitar Center and word of mouth. He got some response and after a little solicitation on social media for a band name, Ray Wilson and the Texas Heat formed. In keeping with his already successful business model, when it came to the band, he again decided to surround himself with great people. Currently, they plan on playing at Center City’s Block Party in August.

The Wilsons added two more children to their family, Kristyn, 6, and Kyler, 2, and between the business, the band and the family, Ray perseveres. Detours and all, he’s on a good path and happy to keep walking it.

But what about that hair?

“I’m gonna be real with you,” laughs Ray. “I used to cut my hair to be in business but that’s just not who I am.”

Next: David Terry

by Jennie Treadway-Miller

Jennie was a columnist for the Chattanooga Times Free Press for eight years prior to moving to Amarillo in 2008. She is an avid reader, runner and writer.